Ironing-board



No. 606,788. Patented July 5, I898.

T. H KINSMAN.

IBONING BOARD. (Application filed Feb. 15, 1897.)

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UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. KINSMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

lRONlNG-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,788, dated July 5, 1898.

Application filed February 15, 1897- Serial No. 623,468. (ModeL) l To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. KINSMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing-Boards, of which the following is a'full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in ironing-boards; and it' consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the board properly mounted and secured to a table. Fig. 2 is a view of the under side of the narrow end thereof. Fig. 3 is a section on line m :0 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4c is a view of the wide end of the board with the legs closed to the board.

The object of my invention is to construct an ironing-board which can readily be secured to a table or other stationary piece of furniture on which the clothes when ironed can be placed or which may contain the clothes to be ironed.

A further object is to construct a board which for the purpose it is to subserve shall be cheap, durable, and may be conveniently handled. In detail it may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents an ironing-board, along'the under surface of the wide end of which and adjacent to the wide terminal edge thereof are hinged the supporting-legs 2 2, preferably connected along their upper ends by a terminal connecting member 3. Connecting the legs at a point slightly below the middle of the length thereof is a transverse cylindrical bar 4:, about the medial portion of which is pivotally connected one end of the short member 5 of a toggle-lever, the longer member 5 having its farther end hinged to the under surface of the board at a point, so as to permit the legs to close toward the board when the toggle is folded, as seen by the arrows in Fig. 1 and by the dotted position of the several parts in said figure. The hinge 6, formingthejoint of the toggle, being located along the under surfaces of the members 5 5' of course prevents the latter from unfolding outwardly beyond the position corresponding to the maximum extension of the toggle-lever. Pivotally secured to the under surface of the board at a point near the narrow end thereof by means of an embracing-yoke 7,whose terminal arms are fastened to the board by staples 8 8, is a clamping-lever 9, to which the base of the yoke is secured by staples 10. The short arm of the clampinglever9 extends rearwardly, gradually tapering to an edge and being substantially trian gular or wedge-shaped in cross-section, a suitable pin 11, carried by the board, passing through an opening of the end of such short arm. Pivoted about said pin 11 in the space between the lever-arm and the board is a controlling arm or lever 12, having an expanded end 12 about the pivotal pin, the said expanded portion being wedge-shaped, as seen in cross-section in Fig. 3,whereby as the arm is swung to the dotted position shown in Fig. 2 theshort arm of the clamping-lever will be forced away from the board, as seen by arrow in Fig. 1, this action resultingfrom the inclined face of the portion 12' riding over the adjacent inclined face of the lever-arm. (See Fig. 3.) In thus forcing the short arm of the clamping-lever from the board the long arm will be forced toward the board, (see arrow in Fig. 1,) and thus clamp the projecting edge 13 of the table between the'long arm of the lever 9 and the narrow end of the board. Upon swinging the arm 12 to its normal position the long arm of the lever will be forced outwardly by the free end of the flexed spring 14 operating against the concave surface 15, formed along the inner side of the lever, the inner fixed end of the spring being secured between the clamping-lever and board at a point opposite the pivotal line of the lever. To make the clamping action of the lever 9 more positive, I pass the screw-threaded portion of a bolt 16, projecting from the under surface of the board, through the long arm of the lever 9 and pass a winged nut 17 about the same, which nut can be forced firmly against thelever, and the latter still more firmly forced against the table.

The legs 2, when fully open, are inclined somewhat to the perpendicular to said table,

through a considerable distance while only effecting a slight change in the position of the legs, alfter which the fnrthermovement of the part 5 in the completion of the fold will draw the member 5, turning on the pivot o, and the legs 2, turning on their pivots, toward the board with a comparatively rapid motion, the relative position of the pivots causing the member 5 to fold toward the part 5 and the legs to be drawn up toward the board, the movement of the legs into their final folded position (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) being completed by pressure directly applied to them. The toggles being pivoted, as shown in the drawings, after the closing of the legs the latter will be firmly drawn toward the board by the short member of the toggle after the long member thereof has been closed against the board.

It is apparent that the present construction could be varied in minor details without departing from the spirit of my invention.

An apparent advantage resulting from the present construction is that the board being devoid of legs at one end many kinds of garments sueh as shirts, skirts, and the likecan be readily passed over the narrow end of the board by simply detaching the same from the table.

Having described my invention What I claim is- In an ironing-board, a suitable board, a pair of legs hinged at one end of the same to the under surface of the board, a toggle-lever having a short and long member connecting the legs to the under surface of the table, the toggle being connected to the legs at a point slightly below the middle of the length of the legs, whereby when the toggle is unfolded the legs will incline slightly outwardly from the vertical, and whereby upon the closing of the parts the legs will be firmly drawn toward the board by the short member of the toggle after the long memberhas been closed against the board, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I al'lix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS H. KINSMAN.

\Vitnesses:

EMIL STAREK, ALFRED A. MA'rnEv. 

